WINDHOEK. Oct. 23– Namibia is striving to improve health, dignity and the overall quality of life for its citizens by enhancing sanitation despite challenges, Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform Calle Schlettwein said Wednesday. Speaking at the launch of the First Namibian Regional Water Symposium, Schlettwein said Namibia is making significant strides in improving sanitation access, with a keen focus on revising the National Sanitation and Hygiene Strategy. The revised strategy, approved by the cabinet in October 2022, sets ambitious targets to provide basic and sustainable access to sanitation for 67 percent of the population by 2027, up from the current level of 46 percent. “The ministry has made progress on several fronts on sanitation, with financial support from the Namibia Water Sector Support Program,” he said. According to Schlettwein, the ministry launched a comprehensive data collection initiative in June, covering multiple regions and constituencies, with the preliminary findings serving as a crucial foundation for future actions and submitted to the cabinet. In response to the data, Schlettwein said the ministry has devised an innovative approach to enhance sanitation access, particularly through the adoption of an in-house team model that includes bricklayers, plumbers and community members for constructing sanitation facilities in communities. Namibia is set to host the Africa Sanitation Conference in the coming weeks. This biennial event provides a platform for dialogue on sanitation and hygiene challenges in Africa, promoting the political prioritization of these issues.
Xinhua
